"Dad, Ben Just Bit the Photographer. Can You Tip Her Extra?"

I woke up early this morning.  Kyle joined me.  We enjoyed quiet time together.

The schedule for today included big plans.  A sandwich crew got to work right after breakfast.

Everyone is dressed to meet a photographer, but right afterward, most of our group planned to leave to go rafting.

The photographer chose a spot near where we are staying.  All the adults helped out with all the kids.

I was a little surprised when the photographer told us not to mash down the grass.  We treaded carefully into the field.

This woman knew her business.  After she took pictures of our entire group, I stood behind her and let my camera try to copy her efforts.

I did sneak in a few spontaneous photos.

I thought this would be a stressful morning, but it wasn't at all.

Lewis was fine as long as he was with Mom.

I took six excellent pictures of Janet and Steve.

This is my favorite.

We've had great fun with Dave's family so far.  Carolyn cleaned up tonight's dishes so I could work on all the pictures from today.

I love having these two people in my life.

And these two.

Bradley didn't want a standard pose.  The photographer's view was much better than mine.

Melissa and Richard aren't going to join us this weekend, but she is sending frequent updates.

Ben decided to join Sammie's family.  It was at this point that he bit the photographer.  She said she'd endured much worse.

These three cousins are so cute together.  I'm not sure who put them in front of the camera, but I didn't hesitate.

It was my idea to put these five in front of the camera.

Jill and Corinne are the same age.  They've become good friends.

I love seeing random cousins together.

These cousins are singing Hamilton.  I loved every second.  They also walked home together from the shoot.

Most of our group rafted down the Snake River this afternoon.

The guides divided the group of 22 into two rafts.

Cell phones and pretty much anything else were banned.

You are seeing the people in Melanie's boat.

She borrowed her Dad's waterproof camera and the guides were fine with that.

Everyone had a great time.

People had to row.

Melanie took this picture to let me know that rapids were ahead.

Kids under 6 weren't allowed, and I can see why.

Melanie had a great time!

Kyle was definitely having fun.

Melanie occasionally took pictures of the other raft.

This is my favorite picture.  Melanie said they weren't screaming, but she's not around right now to explain other options.

I was surprised to see Steve in the water.  I'm told he jumped.

The water was 55 degrees.

I'm not surprised Jacob jumped in.

Melanie went in the water, but she didn't stay long.

I'm thinking I'm glad I wasn't there to see this.

Ben later told me he had a great time.

Papa Ben had a lot of fun.

Dave did, too.

No surprise Steve had fun.  This is right up his alley.

Sammie is the one who recommended this trip.

This was a wonderful family activity.

Melanie is learning how to be creative with the camera.

Looks like the water was being creative here.

In the meantime, Janet and I looked for a cool place to have fun with 3 little kids.

This park must have once been the site of a pioneer LDS Church.  I believe this was the lintel stone

The park was shady, quiet, and we found a large outdoor stage.  Ben found a rope.  We were there for 90 minutes and he never let go of it.

Ben used the rope to climb up onto the stage.

We took treats for the kids. Adele approved.

Lewis liked the puddles from the morning sprinklers.

Adele wanted to use the rope to climb, but she couldn't do it.  Ben tried to help her.

Aunt Janet suggested that Adele watch Ben climb once.  He demonstrated.

This time she was successful.

Ben cheered her on.

We hunted for nature treasures in the park.  We gathered pine cones, rocks and leaves and put them into our bags.

Once we returned home, creative juices flowed.

Ben turns out to be very good at gluing.

Adele is very creative.

Mom helped a little bit.

So far the crafting projects have been a lot of fun.

It's fun to watch cousins enjoying spending time together.

Tonight's dinner was pulled pork fajitas with my special green salsa.  I love it, but some in our family would like it to bite back.

I brought all the ingredients for s'mores.

I cheat by baking the marshmallows in the oven.  I can build a fire, but after a long day, this is a lot easier.

This was a big hit with all the kids.

Chocolate is a wonderful way to end the day.